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E. A. BARBER. STORAGE BATTERY.

No. 593,559. Patented Nov. 16, 1897.

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EDYVARD A. BARBER, OF W'ATERTOWN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO THE HITCHOOCK LAMP COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

sTo RAe E BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 593,559, dated November 16, 1897.

Application filed May 14, 1897. serial No. 636,582. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. BARBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Watertown, in the county of J efierson and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Storage Batteries; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in batteries, and especially to storage batteries, which will be light and powerful and made up of a series of trays provided with plates, provision being had for varying the voltage by the use of a larger or fewer number of trays, as may be desired.

The invention consists, further, in the employment of a stack of metallic trays which are superimposed upon one another, each tray having integral with both sides of its bottom portion a plate which is made up of a series of compartments designed to receive the active material and each forming a positive or negative plate, with metallic connection through the bottom of the trays.

A further part of the invention resides in the construction of a stack of trays with integral plates thereon and which have electrical connection by being superimposed on one another, thus dispensing with metallic connection between the various plates.

To these ends and to such others as the in-,

vention may pertain the same consists, further, in the novel construction, combination, and adaptation of the parts, as will be hereinafter described more fully in the accompanying drawings and then specifically defined in the appended claim.

My invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this application, and in which Figure 1 is a stack of trays embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the stack of trays, showing the manner of their arrangement and insulation. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one of the trays.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, X designates one of the trays, each of which has cast integral with the upper side of its bottom portion a plate 0, which is made up of a series of compartments, as shown in the drawings, and integral with the under side of the bottom of the tray is a similarly-constructed plate D, having compartments which have their dividingwalls at right angles to one another, by which construction the tray and plates are stiffened and rendered stronger. Placed upon the outer and central ribs forming the partitions between the compartments are the insulators B, which may be of any suitable material, and

on these insulators is placed, preferably, a

sheet of asbestos, through which the solution is allowed to soak and come in contact with any suitable filling or active material which is contained in the compartments of the plates. By providing the asbestos strip disposed over the upper portion of each tray the active material is prevented from dropping from the under plates in the compartments to the upper side of the bottom of the trays underneath.

In the construction illustrated the upper plate 0 is a negative pole and the plate D, secured to the lower side of the bottom of each tray, is the positive pole, and connection is made with the positive plate M, which is composed of a piece of metal with downwardlyprojecting portions designed to rest upon the asbestos sheets held'upon the upper edges of the dividing-walls of the compartments in the upper tray at the top of the stack through the wire K, and with the negative-plate N at the bottom of the stack through the wire K,

to which wires may be attached a suitable incandescent lamp.

Before charging the battery it is built up of as many trays as desired to obtain a certain voltage, and the solution is then poured into the tray. I have found from experimenting that a stack of trays which is eighteen inches high would produce sixty volts, or two volts for each tray, there being thirty trays in a stack of that height.

It has been observed that in storage batteries commonly in use the positive plate is shortlived, as the continuous expansion cracks the plate and, breaking the connection, finally falls to pieces. In my improved battery it will be noted that when the trays are constructed as shown and described each positive portion is supported by a negative, and it will be further observed that the positive and negative plates are connected by the whole sectional area of the tray and not by small connectors, which are commonly employed in this class of batteries.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A storage battery, comprising in combination a stack of trays, each of which has on opposite sides of its bottom portion an integral the lower surface of each plate resting on an asbestos sheet, and superimposed in the manner described,the positive and negative plates at the top and bottom of the trays respectively, and electrical connections therewith, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I aftix'my signature 30 in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD A. BARBER.

\Vitnesses:

JNo. B. TAYLOR, IRVING J. Mourns. 

